Spring conveyer



(No Model.)

O. L. JONES SPRING GONVEYBR;

No. 473,318 Patefite'd Apr. 19, 1892.

N k Q //VVE/VT0/P.' 1 BY JL 1, V @1 ATTORNEYS WITNESSES Wm w s UNTTEDSTATES PATENT OrErcE,

OLIVER L. JONES, OF GOLD SPRING HARBOR, NEWV YORK.

SPRING. CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 473,318, dated April 19,1892.

Application filed October 1'7, 1890. Renewed October 10, 1891- SerialNo. 408,291. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, OLIVER L. JONES, of Cold Spring Harbor, in the countyof Suffolk and State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedSpring Conveyor, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to improvements in spring conveyers; and its objectis to'provide means whereby a screw conveyer may be forced into a bankunder a constant pressure, so that if it is kept revolving it will workvery easily and rapidly.

My invention is intended to be used in a small way by hand or in alarger way by ower.

To this end my invention consists in a revoluble screw conveyer adaptedto be forced into a bank and suitable springs connected with theconveyor, so as to maintain a constant endwise pressure upon the same,as hereinafter fully described, and specifically pointed ontin theclaims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the device, showing theconveyer entering a bank; and Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section ofthe same.

A suitable frame Ais provided for carrying the device, the frame beingof any suitable construction and being preferably mounted upon legs,which terminate in dull points a, so that when resting upon the groundthey will force their Way into it, and thus hold the machine in a rigidposition. A shaft 13 extends longitudinally through the frame, beingmounted in suitable bearings therein, and one end of the shaft carries ascrew conveyer B, the conveyer being formed by providing the shaftwiththe blade I), which extends spirally around it in the usual manner, andthe conveyer terminates in an auger-point b to enable it to easilyentera bank, as O. The opposite end of the shaft B is provided with acrank 12 so that the conveyor may be turned by hand, and it also carriesa pulley 12 to which a belt may be applied to run the conveyer, asindicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The shaft B is also provided with a collar I), which is fixed theretoand which enables the shaft to be pushed into the bank in the mannerdescribed below.- Two powerful spiral springs D are mounted on atransverse shaft or bar E beneath the shaft B and at right angles to thesame, the springs being fixed at one end to the shaft and having theirfree ends connected by chains E with the crosshead F, which looselyengages the shaft B and which is connected with a rack F, which slidesin the slideway A of the frame A, the said rack aligning with the shaftB and having teeth upon its upper edge, as best shown in Fig. 1. Thecross-head F has bolts fon opposite sides, to which the chains E areattached, and the rack F. has Vertical flanges f on opposite sides,between which fits the pinion by which the rack and cross-head are movedback, as described below. The springs -D will thus operate on thecross-head F and press the same against the collar 6 on the shaft B, andthus force the conveyer into the bank 0, the movement being limited bythe uprights of the frame A, as shown in Fig. 1, and it is obvious thatas the springs are very strong means must be provided for forcing thecross-head back to its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, to put thesprings again under tension, and to this end a transverse shaft 11 ismounted in the upper portion of the frame at right angles to the rack F,the said shaft being provided at one end with a gear-wheel H and at theother with a pinion H which meshes with the rack F. A pawl 72. ispivotcd above the gear-Wheel H, so as to engage the teeth of the sameand prevent it from turning back, and above the shaft H is a shaft J,having at one enda pinion J, which meshes with the gear-wheel H, andhaving at its opposite end a crank J by means of which the shaft may beturned. It will thus be seen that by turning the shaft the gear-wheel Hand pinion H may be also turned, and the rack and cross-head will bethereby forced back into the position shown in Fig. 1, and the pressureof the springs will reverse the movement and force the conveyer into thebank. The conveyer while being forced into the bank by the springs isrevolved by means of the crank 12 or the pulley b and it operates in theusual way, the material being carried by the blade Z) and deposited inthe rear of the conveyer.

This conveyer is capable of use in either a natural or an artificialbankas, for instance, a culm-pile.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. The combination, with a revoluble screwconveyer, of coil-springs for imparting an end- Wise movement to theconveyer and means for putting the springs under tension, substantiallyas described.

2. The combinatiomvvith a revoluble screw conveyer, of coil-springshaving their inner ends secured to a shaft and their outer endsconnected with the conveyer-shaft, so as to exert an endwise pressureupon the screw, substantially as described.

3. A spring conveyer comprising a frame having a conveyer mountedtherein, a crosshead mounted upon the conveyer-shaft, so as to pressupon a collar of the same, coil-springs having their inner ends securedto a shaft and their outer ends connected with the crosshead, and a gearmechanism for moving the crosshead in opposition to the springs,substantially as described.

4. A spring-conveyer comprising a frame havinga screw conveyer mountedtherein, the conveyer-shaft having a collar thereon, as shown,coil-springs mounted upon a shaft and having their inner ends secured tothe same, a cross-head adapted to slide upon the conveyer-shaft andpress against the collar, said cross-head being connected to the freeends of the springs and having a toothed rack upon its upper side, and agear mechanism to mesh with the rack and turn the cross-head inopposition to the springs, substantially as described.

OLIVER L. JONES. Witnesses:

W. S. WALKER, C. SEDGWICK.

